SAN FRANCISCO (USA TODAY) -- Aug. 10 brings the start of the "Old Faithful" of meteor showers, the Perseids, as well as a super moon.

The prolific Perseids show up once a year, in August, filling the night sky with as many as 80 shooting stars an hour. This year's show coincides with the arrival of a super moon, which occurs when the Earth and moon are at their closest.

Super moons bring with them 30% more light. That's a problem as it makes the meteors less visible.

Still, the two events together make this a good few days to spend some time outside at night, says Ben Burress, an astronomer with the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland.

The shower's peak will come in the hours before dawn Aug. 11-13, Burress says.

Look in the constellation Perseus, which is just to the left of the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters constellation, in the northeastern portion of the sky.

Normally, a bright moon would dim the visibility of meteors, but the Perseids have bright meteors, so "it's not a complete washout," Burress says. "But it won't be nearly as good as it would if the moon wasn't up."

Another option is to look as night falls, when the moon is low in the east, according to Alan MacRobert, senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine.

If you're lucky, you might see some Earth-grazing Perseids. These are unusually long and graceful meteors, less frequent but quite lovely.

This year's Perseids meteor shower may be a little harder to see because it's coinciding with a super moon.

This year's Perseid shower won't be the wild, showy 80 meteors per hour that can happen when they arrive during moonless nights. Even so, a shooting star or two reminds us that looking heavenward is always rewarding.

And if you don't see a meteor, you'll still get to see a super moon.

Astronomers call these "perigee full moons," though in the past few years, they've taken on the popular name "super moons," according to EarthSky.com.

Super moons occur when a full moon and the Earth are closest in their orbits.

The moon will be 190,000 miles from the Earth, 20% closer than its farthest point, when it is 240,000 miles away.

"That means it's maybe 10% to 15% larger on average than a full moon and about 30% brighter," Burress says.

The moon's closeness isn't just something to look up for. It also brings extra high and low tides, which make it a great time for beachcombing.

PHOTOS: Amazing lightning strikes from around the world!

A lightning flashes over the statue of Christ the Redeemer on top of the Corcovado hill in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on January 16, 2014. (Photo credit should read YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images) (Photo: YASUYOSHI CHIBA AFP/Getty Images)

FT.MYERS, FL - AUGUST 16: Lightning strikes the ground as a violent thunder storm approaches the area August 16, 2004 in Ft. Myers, Florida. The town of Punta Gorda, located approximately 25 miles away from Ft. Myers, received the blunt force of Hurricane Charley, causing vast destruction and about 16 weather related deaths, to date. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (Photo: Mark Wilson Getty Images)

LONDON - AUGUST 07: Lightning flashes in the night sky over South London August 07, 2008 in London, England. The storm brought a temporary end to the hot and humid weather with light rain and a cool breeze. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (Photo: Dan Kitwood Getty Images)

Lightening flashes over under-construction residential high-rise buildings in the early morning hours in Kuala Lumpur on March 2, 2009. Unstable weather patterns across parts of south east asia have brought impressive electrical storms, with close neighbour Singapore's iconic Merlion statue having been struck and damaged by a lightning strike on March 1. (Photo: SAEED KHAN AFP/Getty Images)

The ancient Greek Parthenon temple, atop the Acropolis hill overlooking Athens, is framed by a lightning bolt during a thunderstorm that broke out in the Greek capital, late 9 October 2006. Greece has experienced stormy weather since the weekend, with two regions now placed in a state of emergency because of flood-related problems that damaged homes and disrupted transport. (Photo: ARIS MESSINIS AFP/Getty Images)

Flashes of lightning illuminate the sky next to a windmill over the lake Scharmuetzel near Bad Saarow, eastern Germany on late July 16, 2010. Rain and thunderstorms hit the eastern part of Germany on July 17, 2010. (Photo: PATRICK PLEUL AFP/Getty Images)

Lightning strikes a People's Liberation Army (PLA) post behind Murray House (R) in the Stanley district of Hong Kong early on September 11, 2010. Hong Kong has recently experienced heavy thunderstorms, and on September 8 detected a record of more than 25,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes during a six-hour period, the Hong Kong observatory reported. AFP PHOTO / ED JONES (Photo credit should read Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images) (Photo: ED JONES AFP/Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS - OCTOBER 19: Lightning flashes over the Las Vegas Strip as a thunderstorm dumps rain and hail October 19, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Scattered storms are expected over the next several days in the area. (Photo: Ethan Miller Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS, NV - SEPTEMBER 11: Lightning flashes in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area during a thunderstorm early on September 11, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. More storms and cooler temperatures are expected in the area over the next few days. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) (Photo: Ethan Miller Getty Images)

A lightning strikes St Peter's dome at the Vatican on February 11, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI announced today he will resign as leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics on February 28 because his age prevented him from carrying out his duties -- an unprecedented move in the modern history of the Catholic Church. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images) (Photo: FILIPPO MONTEFORTE AFP/Getty Images)

CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 12: Lightning strikes the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) in downtown on June 12, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. A massive storm system with heavy rain, high winds, hail and possible tornadoes is expected to move into Illinois and much of the central part of the Midwest today. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (Photo: Scott Olson Getty Images)

VILLENA, SPAIN - JULY 10: The high speed train overhead power cable is struck by lightning close to Villena AVE station during a summer storm on July 10, 2013 in Villena, Spain. The AVE Madrid-Alicante high-speed train route was inaugurated by Prince Felipe of Spain and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on June 17. An 11.5 million euro investment was made into building the Villena AVE station, one stop along the two hour and twenty minute journey, however, the station remains unfinished due to lack of budget. Access to and from the station to the surrounding towns is difficult due to the lack of transport and road infrastructure in the area leaving the station largely unused. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images) (Photo: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno Getty Images)

POOLE, ENGLAND - JULY 21: Lightning strikes over Poole Harbour during a thunderstorm on July 21, 2013 in Poole, England. The spell of hot weather was brought to an end last night on the South coast after a second week of heatwave conditions across the UK. (Photo: Dan Kitwood Getty Images)

This picture taken on August 11, 2013 shows lightning in the sky as a storm hits at sunset in Wuhan, in central China's Hubei province. The storm cooled the city off by about 10 degrees Celsius after the temperature earlier topped 39.5 degrees Celsius (103F). AFP PHOTO CHINA OUT (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images) (Photo: STR AFP/Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS, NV - AUGUST 18: Lightning flashes behind an air traffic control tower at McCarran International Airport on August 18, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Thunderstorms swept across the area on Sunday prompting the National Weather Service to issue multiple severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) (Photo: Ethan Miller Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS, NV - AUGUST 18: Lightning flashes behind an air traffic control tower at McCarran International Airport on August 18, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Thunderstorms swept across the area on Sunday prompting the National Weather Service to issue multiple severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings. (Photo: Ethan Miller Getty Images)